Sunday Barbecue Party!
Tom and I hosted our first barbecue of the year last Sunday! His cousins and family in the area love getting together whenever possible, and this time we celebrated his newly-engaged cousin, Annie! The weather was so incredible; we even moved our dining table and chairs onto the deck so that the whole family could sit outside.
How to Host a Fabulous Barbecue
When I throw a barbecue, I focus on my four F's: Fresh, Flowers, Fanciness, and Fun.
FRESH: I love to have lots of fresh and homemade food on the menu, especially with all the great summer produce! I pin the recipes to Pinterest, so I can visualize the menu, send it out to the family so they can get excited about dinner, and then they have access to the recipes they love later! Check out my Sunday BBQ Dinner menu on Pinterest. I even made homemade barbecue sauce and seasoning!
FLOWERS: Beautiful flowers add such a nice touch to your barbecue, especially if you are dining outside! Grilling definitely connotes a delicious, barbecue-covered mess, so I like to brighten things up by having at least two vases of flowers on the table.
FANCINESS: In the same train of thought as adding beautiful flowers to your table, I like to ensure there are a FEW fancy (yet casual) elements in the tablescape. For me, the key conmponents to fancy yet casual is:
Chargers or placemats - you can get the round woven chargers I use for $2-$3 each at Target. HomeGoods has sets of 4 for a great price. Fancier ones go up to $15 or so!
Use real dinner plates, cutlery, and wine glasses. For water, I keep two chilled pitchers in the fridge, and use pretty plastic cups for serving.
Buy pretty party napkins (Target always has cute ones for $2 p/pack!), wrap cutlery in it, and tie with a matching ribbon. When setting the table, I'll lay a napkin on the plate, then put the cutlery on top of it. It adds more color, and since you're eating barbecue, everyone needs extra napkins obvi!
Pretty citronella candles - I found adorable ceramic frog holders for citronella tealights. Since they're going to be right in everyone's sight as they eat, you definitely want to go for something cute!
FUN: Have great booze or beverages, incorporate something fun or whimsical into the menu (we did s'mores on the grill!), and be a happy hostess!!
Tom and I had such a great time at our Sunday barbecue that we decided to have one of our favorite couples over for a midweek barbecue a few days later! Check out how easy it is to host two barbecues in one week!